National Day of Unplugging is an awareness campaign annually observed the first weekend in March organized by the 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Unplug Collaborative. Screen time is proven to have an effect on our lives, whether it be our sleep, our relationships, or our bodies. Take some time off from your trusty electronics and unwind.
There are many ways to participate and celebrate. Check out some of the books below for inspiration on how to unplug and enjoy!
Get Outdoors
- Take a hike somewhere beautiful!
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Gainesville & Ocala : Your Guide to the Area's Most Beautiful Hikes
Polar opposites in many ways, both Gainesville and Ocala offer much for those that share a love of the outdoors. With several hundred miles of trails throughout the region to choose from, Five-Star Trails: Gainesville & Ocala helps you find the best. Authored by Florida hiking expert and long-time Ocala resident Sandra Friend along with 40-year Eagle Scout and Florida Trail Association life member John Keatley, this handy guide provides a fresh perspective on the region's ever-expanding array of hiking trails. Covering more than 35 hikes across a three-county region, all within an hour's drive of either city, Five-Star Trails: Gainesville & Ocala gives you a reason to get outdoors now. Hikes are rated and highlighted according to their strengths from five perspectives: scenery, trail conditions, good for children, difficulty, and solitude. This handy guide makes planning your trip easy and enjoyable!
- Create your own scavenger hunt!
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The Ultimate Book of Scavenger Hunts : 42 Outdoor Adventures to Conquer with Your Family
Just in time for summer and the numerous outdoor opportunities, Tornio (The Outdoor Adventure Book), provides great ideas for getting your kids to enjoy and learn about nature. Heading to the zoo, aquarium or farm? Included are fun checklists with pictures that can increase the educational and fun value of your trip. Want to learn more about your neighborhood? Tornio includes scavenger hunts for your local farmer's market, park, nature trail, and body of water. Heading on a trip? Beach, nature center, state park, and mountain hunts are included. Ideas for hiking and camping are also included. Themed scavenger hunts by season, time of day, and color are also included.
- Stop and Smell the Flowers
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Wildflowers of Florida Field Guide
You've seen Florida's beautiful wildflowers. Now learn to identify them. This is your field guide to 200 of Florida's wildflowers. Full-page photographs and an easy-to-read format present the information that's critical to accurate identification. And the species are organized by color, so when you see a purple flower, simply turn to the purple section of the book. Wildflower identification has never been easier!
Create Something New
- Make Something New for Dinner!
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Pasta : the Spirit and Craft of Italy's Greatest Food, with Recipes
In this hard-working manual for home cooks who aspire to master the art of pasta cooking, the James Beard Award-winning chef/owner of the acclaimed Lilia and Misi in Brooklyn presents recipes for 40 handmade pasta shapes and 100 Italian American, regional Italian, and modern dishes.
- Craft your favorite movies into life!
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Let your imagination run wild with Disney arts and crafts, party games, puzzles, and papercraft. With magical projects for every level of ability and clear, step-by-step, illustrated instructions, you will never be bored again! Build Cinderella's castle, take off with Buzz Lightyear's wings, dress up in Moana's flower crown, play Snow White bowling, race Lightning McQueen on your own racetrack, and much, much more.
- Turn paper into something new!
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3D Paper Crafts for Kids : 26 Creative Projects to Make from A-Z
Experience the joy and the endless benefits of hands-on crafting with kids! With this interactive project book, you can help young children learn and practice the alphabet while having fun making cute paper crafts! 3D Paper Crafts for Kids is an exciting and easy project guide that carefully illustrates how to create 26 charming projects with fun 3D elements using paper, string, and other household items. With projects organized in alphabetical order, kids will have loads of fun creating these giraffes, owls, queens, flowers, apples, zebras, elephants, and so much more!
Spend Time Together
- Build a family charcuterie board!
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Through stunning recipes and hosting tips from Sandy Coughlin, founder of the recipe and hospitality blog, Reluctant Entertainer, Big Boards for Families shows you how to artfully craft and serve food boards to your close friends and family. Piece together these bountiful spreads with a variety of ingredients and options that allow you and your guests to customize every dish. These plentiful charcuterie boards will impress your guests and delight your family, even those picky eaters! Choose the right spread for your family from a selection of food boards for dinner, lunch, after-school snacks, breakfast, or brunch. They're also perfect for special occasions and game days too.
- Build a fort!
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When is the best time for fort building? Any time, any season, as explained in this zestful picture book. After all, forts can be made of almost anything: sticks, trees, snow, quilts, pillows. In the winter, children build igloos and snowmen; in spring, it's a tablecloth over a string tied to two trees to keep off the rain. Summer? That's driftwood on a big rock in the sand. And in fall, the children climb into a treehouse complete with a basket on a rope. A diverse group of smiling children occupy each page as they engage in the fun activities of each season. Food is seasonal, too: hot cocoa, tea, hot dogs, hot soup. The busy pages show children skiing, squishing in the mud in the rain, drawing pictures and reading books, swimming, hunting for shells, writing poems, and hiking on trails. Ebullient illustrations in watercolor and colored pencils invite readers to get busy building. The delightfully detailed, colorful double-page spreads spur imagination and enthusiastically embrace fun.
- Try something or anything else!
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The Ultimate at-home Activity Guide
There are endless possibilities for keeping spirits high and brains engaged at home, including throwing a virtual party, holding family Olympics, learning a magic trick, making a flip book, and many more. Doodles, jokes, and entertaining tips enliven the crafts, games, adventures, projects, and creative boredom-busting activities the whole family will enjoy. Most call for common crafting gear and household items, ensuring hours of fun at the tip of your fingers.
Descriptions adapted from the publisher.